Feng Che snapped a photo of the Black Rocket Ball and shared it in the trio's private group chat, warning them about the lock mechanism.
Kongjian:Just caught a powerhouse Kingler. It nearly took my head off. Found a Silver Key and opened a Silver Chest.Kongjian:Contents: 6 Special Rocket Balls and a 50-point Credit Plate. There's a gravity trap in the chest, so don't try to pry one open without a key.Tianchen:Alice and I just took down a Gloom. It dropped a Bronze Key, which opened a Bronze Chest.Tianchen:Contents: 25 points and 3 Special Rocket Balls. The Gloom was Level 20.Tianchen:Hypothesis: Pokémon Level 1-20 hold Bronze Keys. Elite-tier (21-30) hold Silver Keys. Level 31+ probably hold Gold Keys.Tianchen:Gold Chests are likely worth 100 points. We need to focus on finding keys; the chests are small enough to carry in our bags, but the keys are the bottleneck.Tianchen:We reached a supply depot Alice knew about. Disappointing—just food and water, no weapons or points. We're moving to the next coordinate.
Alice threw one of the new Black Balls at the fainted Gloom. "Tianchen, are you sure about its potential?"
"Trust me," Tianchen said, his Drowzee glowing with blue psychic energy. "It's 'Outstanding' (Yellow) potential. Didn't you smell it? If Drowzee hadn't used Telekinesis to plug its own nostrils, it would have been the first Pokémon in history to be defeated by a bad smell."
On the shore, Feng Che scanned the horizon. A medium-sized wooden sailing ship lay grounded on a jagged reef about a kilometer out. It looked ancient, draped in dried kelp and sea moss.
Through his binoculars, he saw several Sharpedo circling the reef, while a flock of Wingull used the rotting masts as perches.
The recent hurricane must have pushed it onto the reef, he thought. Then, he saw it: a distinct gold glint coming from the depths of the wreckage.
My gut says there's treasure there. But those Wingull are territorial 'sea bullies'. If I approach carelessly, they'll swarm me.
The tide was high, but Feng Che observed that during low tide, the water dropped to about half a meter, exposing the reef path. The massive Sharpedo would be forced to retreat to deeper water or risk being beached.
I'll wait for the ebb tide, he decided.
He checked on his team. Ditto's burns had healed thanks to the Rawst Berry treatment, and Rookidee had recovered her stamina with a bottle of Oran juice.
"Rookidee, since you're fit, start your drills. Focus on Tailwind and Hone Claws. I saw the beginnings of a real Hurricane in your Whirlwind earlier—let's polish that."
Suddenly, a rustling came from the brush. A small, brown, fuzzy head popped out.
[Image: The Pokémon Zigzagoon]
It was a Zigzagoon, its big, watery brown eyes looking incredibly clever. It sniffed the air, drawn by the lingering scent of Feng Che's specialized berry juice.
[Zigzagoon: I smelled something amazing in the forest and followed it here.]
It found an empty juice bottle on the sand and licked the rim. [Zigzagoon: Lucky! There's a drop left! Wow, this is the best thing I've ever tasted!]
The Zigzagoon let out a happy bark, and six more scurried out from the jungle. Feng Che smiled. Zigzagoon were famous for their curiosity and their Pickup ability. In the games, "Pickup" players would run a full team of them to farm rare items.
"Meeting is fate, little guys."
Feng Che pulled out seven small vials of his custom juice. As he uncapped them, the rich aroma filled the air. The Zigzagoon swarmed him, yapping excitedly. After they finished drinking, they politely returned the bottles and vanished back into the trees.
A few minutes later, they returned, each carrying something in its mouth.
Feng Che's eyes widened. They brought back a high-quality Miracle Seed, two used (failed) Rocket Balls found in the brush, and several rare berries.
"Zigzagoon, if you find more of these balls or those metal boxes and keys, let me know. I'll give you three bottles of juice for every location you find."
He also noticed the little ones were scratching. He examined their fur and found parasites. "Stay still. This will help."
He crushed some Star-Flower Grass—a natural antiseptic—and applied the paste to their coats. The Zigzagoon purred as the itching stopped. "This will keep the bugs off for a month. If you or your friends have injuries, come find me. I live nearby."
As a Treatment Master, Feng Che genuinely cared for Pokémon. In legend, those who healed enough Pokémon earned the "Blessing of Viridian."
The Miracle Seed alone was a massive find; it could double the power of Grass-type moves. I could pass the exam just by turning this in, but it's too good to give away, he thought, wrapping it carefully and stowing it.
By 4:00 PM, the tide began to retreat, revealing the "land bridge" of rocks leading to the shipwreck.
"Let's go, Ditto. It's time to see what's on that boat."
As they walked across the wet sand, Feng Che saw several Krabby buried in the silt and an occasional Cloyster or Shellder. He ignored them. To a Breeder, a Pokémon's value was calculated on three axes:
Rarity (Rocket's rank)
Move-set (The Kingler with Hyper Beam was a prime example)
Potential (Color rank)
But for his own team, he added a fourth: Bonding/Fate.
He reached the hull of the old ship. The golden light from within was brighter now.
"Rookidee, stay in the air. Ditto, get ready. We're going in."
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